Latch for paper boxes



O. B. BERTON LATCH FOR PAPER BOXES June 24, 1930.

Qwwntor dition.

Patented June 24, 1930 PATENT OFFICE ORVAL 3. 311353011, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA LATCH FOR PAPER BOXES Continuation of'application Serial No. 119,527, filed June 30, 1926. This application filed October '8, 1928.

. Serial No. 311,011. v

it in a closed condition with cord or tape.

The invention, is particularly applicable to the type of box in which the cover is provided with a front flap received in the space immediately back or in front of the forward wall. The invention contemplates a correlated construction for the flap and the forward wall of the box, which will permit an interlock or latch to be readily produced between the same, and which will operate to hold the cover closed. I

The present application is a continuation of applicants pending application Serial 2 Number 119,527, filed June 30, 1926.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. r

The invention consists in the novel'parts and combination of arts to be described hereinafter, all of Whlch. contribute to produce an efficient latch for paper boxes.

' A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, .while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

While the invention is applicable to a cardboard box constructed in any manner, in the present specification I have illustrated the improvement as applied to a common 3 type of knock-down or folding box.

Boxesof this type are carried in stock in a fiat condition but are creased so that they can readily be folded up into box forrnwhen desired.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a box embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the forward wall of the box in- 5 the vicinity of the latch.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. This view shows the parts of'the box in the relation which they have when the box is in its locked conwall.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig 3 but showing a secondary locking po-sltion which keeps the box from coming open incase the first latching or locking position should fall.

In practicing my invention, I provide the cover of the box with a tuck or flap which is in a position to become juxtaposed on an adjacentw-all of the box, and this tuck has a tongue out in its material which is adapted to be pushed inwardly, that is to sa-y,the

' tongue is adapted to be pushed inwardly by pressure exerted upon the tongue of the tuck, thereby forcing the latching tongue through the opening formed by the dis placement of the tongue in the wall. The operation of forcing back the tongue of the '45 wall can-be performed at the same time as the displacement-of the t ngue in the tuck. Hence,- .the cover of the box can be latched or locked in place merely y exerting pres-" sure-at this point on the box.

In order to accomplish this in a box of the type illustrated in Fig. 1, the box is formed with a cover 1 having a tuck or flap 2 which hangs down from its forward edge 3. When the cover is closed, this flap 2 is juxtaposed 5 over the upper edge of the front wall 4 of the box. This flap is disposed back of the In applying the invention to such a box,'I cut the maternal of the tuck so as to form a tongue 5, that is to say, the lower portion of the tongue 5. is relatively wide and the upper portiton is formed with a relatively narrow neck 7, the said neck 7 being located between two rounded lobes 8 which form the ends of the body of the tongue.

It'should be understood that the tongue is merely cut in the flap. when the box is manufactured, but it is not pressed out of align- -ment with the plane of the tuck until, the i box is put in use. A somewhat similar tongue 9 is formed in the material of the front wall 4 of the box, in a position to align with the tongue 5 when the tuck 2 is in position. This tongue 9 is elongatedhorizontally and formed with two end lobes 10; This tongue, however, has no neck, but at their upper sides the lobes 10 terminate in incisions 11 through the material (see Fig. 1). The tongue 5 is slightly larger than the tongue 9.

When the cover 1 of the box has been closed, if it is desired to latch the same closed, it is simply necessary to slip the tuck into the box with the tongue 5 overlying the front wall 4 at its upper edge; and then to press with ones thumb upon the tongue 5. This will swing the lower edge of the tongue 5 inwardly and the material of the tongue will break or crease slightly at about the location of the horizontal line 12 (see .Fig.

v3), which. is about in line with the incisions The incisions 13extend in toward the vertical axis ofthe tongue 5.

As thetongue 5 is forced inwardly, it will engage the tongue 9'and break it out of the plane of the wall 4 so as to force it back into the i-nterior of the box, thereby displacing it from the opening in which it lay. The tongue 5 will in this way be made to project inwardly beyond the plane of the tuck 2, interlocking itself into the opening formed in the tuck and thereby looking or latching the cover in its closed position.

By reason of the incisions 11 the lobes 10 can be projected back very readily by pres sure on the lobes8, so that the edges 13 of the latch 5 will catch under the edges 13 of the opening formed by displacing tongue 9.

A secondary locking position for the box is illustrated in Figure 4 in which the tongue 5 is represented as having become pulled out of latching position. If this should occur, the cover 1 is prevented from'rising by the tongue '9 that projects rearwardly through the opening 13 left by thedisplacement of the tongue 5.- In other words, the bar '14 of the material of the tuck below the tongue 5 will be caught under theinwardly inclined tongue 9.

What I claim is:

1. A box'of this kind described, having a forward wall and having a cover with a tuck juxtaposed back of the said forward wall when the cover is in its closed position, said tuck having a tongue out in the material thereof projecting toward the free edge of the tuck, said tongue having its greatest width toward its free end, and a tongue formed in thematerial of the said front wall having its free edge disposed downward and located so that when the tuck is superposed on the front wall, the said second named tongue will lie in juxtaposition with the first produced by named tongue, said tongue in the said wall having substantially the same shape and size as the first named tongue adjacent its free end,'said tongues being capable of being forced rearwardly together into the interior of the box so as to lock the tongue of the tuck into the opening formed by displacement of the tongue in the wall.

2. A box of thekind described having a front wall and having a cover with a'tuck juxtaposed behind the said front wall with the cover in its closed position, said front wall having a horizontally elongated tongue out in the material thereof attached at ,its upper edge to the wall and having a lobe projecting substantially horizontally at each end, said tuck having a tongue out in the I material thereof horizontally elongated at its ends so as to present two lobes corresponding to the first named lobes and received on the outer sideof the said front wall so as to overlie'the same when the box is in its closed position, said last named tongue further having an upper portion extending upwardly from said lobes and attached to the tuck at the upper edge of said tuck, said tongues, when the box is in its closed position, superposed upon each other and extending in thesa ne direction from their attached ends and being capable of being forced inwardly together toward the interior of the box with the tongue of the front wall inclining inwar dl-yand downwardly to lock the second named tongue in the opening the displacement of the first named tongue.

3. A box of the kind described, having a forward wall and having a cover with a tuck juxtaposed back of the said front wall when the cover is in its closed position, said tuck having a tongue out in the material thereof extending down from the upper edge of the said tuck toward the free edges of the tuck and having its grea est width toward its free end, and a tongue formed in the material of the said front wall projecting downwardly so as to-project in the same direction as the first named tongue and located so that when the tuck is superposed on the front wall, the second named tongue will lie in juxtaposition with the first named.

tongue, said tongues being capable of being forced rearwardly together toward the interior of the box so asto lock the tongue. of the tuck into the opening formed by dis-' placement of the tongue in the wall.

4. A box of the kind described having a front wall and having a cover with a tuck juxtaposed behind the said front wall with the cover in its closed position, said front wall having a horizontally elongated tongue cut in the material thereof connecting at its upper edge to the'material of the front wall and having a lobe projecting substantially horizontally at each end, said tuck having a .tongue out in the material thereof connecting at its upper edge to the material of the tuck, said tongue be1ng horizontally elongated at its lower end and having two lobes corresponding to the first named lobes and lying on the outer side of the said front wall so as to overlie the same when the box is in its closed position, said last named tongue fur ther having an upper portion extending upwardly from said lobes to the upper edge of said tuck, said tongues when the box is in its closed position, being capable of being forced inwardly together towardthe interior of the box to lock the second named tongue in the opening produced by the displacement of the first named tongue.

5. A box of the kind describe having a I forward wall with a tongue formed in the material thereof below the upper edge of the wall, the upper edge of the said tongue being attached integrally to the material of the wall so that the tongue can be forced inwardl bending at its upper edge, said tongue avin laterally projecting lobes at its ends, said ox having a cover with a tuck integral therewith and extending down from the forward edge of the cover, said tuck having an integral tongue formed therein connecting at its upper edge to the cover at its forward edge so as to coincide with the connecting edge of the tuck and cover, said last named tongue being of reduced width toward its lower end and having laterally projecting lobes at its lower end. I

Signed at LosA'ngeles, Oaliii, this 1st day of October, 1928.

- ORVAL B. BERTON. 

